Container closure



Oct. 19, 1965 A. D. DUNCAN CONTAINER CLOSURE Filed Aug. 1, 1963INVENTOR.

United States Patent 3,212,665 CONTAINER CLOSURE Alfred D. Duncan,Elmhurst, IlL, assignor to Milton B. Brenner, Skokie, Ill. Filed Aug. 1,1963, Ser. No. 299,359 Claims. (Cl. 220-38.5)

The present invention relates to container closures. More particularly,it is concerned with the provision of a device for closing an irregularopening at the end of a sheet metal can, the opening primarilycontemplated being of the triangular type which is made by what iscommonly referred to as a beer can opener.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide a closure device forthe opening formed in the end of a sheet metal can be a beer can opener.

An additional object is to provide a novel closure device which isparticularly adapted for closing an irregular opening, such as theapproximately triangular opening formed by a beer can opener forinstance.

Yet another object is to provide a closure member of the type indicatedabove which remains in place, which is easy to insert, which is easy toremove, which seals well, and which is not substantially damaged byrepeated use.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent from the followingdescription of a preferred embodiment of my invention which isillustrated in the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings, in which similar characters of reference refer tosimilar parts throughout the several views,

FIG. 1 is a top perspective view illustrating an opened beer can or theequivalent, with the closure of the present invention in place so as toseal the opening;

FIG. 2 is a view similar to FIG. 1, but showing the closure memberattached to the can in condition to provide an opening for pouring fromthe can;

FIG. 3 is a partial transverse vertical sectional view through theclosure in pouring condition and a portion of the can top. The view maybe considered as taken in the direction of the arrows substantiallyalong the line 3 3 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 3, but showing the closure in sealingrelationship to the can. This view is taken substantially along the line44 in the direction indicated by the arrows in FIG. 1;

a FIG. 5 is a horizontal section-a1 view through a portion of theclosure in pouring condition and a portion of the can in top elevation.This view may be considered as taken in the direction of the arrowssubstantially along the line 5-5 of FIG. 3; and

FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIG. 5, but showing the closure in sealingrelation to the can. This view may be considered as taken in thedirection of the arrows substantially along the line 66 of FIG. 4.

Sheet metal cans, commonly called tin cans in the vernacular, areusually made up of tin plated sheet steel, or of aluminum, or of steelhaving an organic plastics coating. A common opening arrangement forsuch cans, particularly when they contain liquids such as beer, fruitjuice or the like, is to form an approximately triangular opening nearone edge of the can lid. The opener used for this purpose is frequentlyreferred to as a beer can opener. In operation, the beer can opener ishooked under the rib at the periphery of the can, and the handle thereofis levered upwardly so that a triangular portion having a cutting edgeshears the can top to provide an approximately triangular opening, withthe base of the triangle adjacent the periphery of the can lid. Thisshearing action tends to deform the top of the can downwardly slightly,and the sharp sheared edges which extend ice outwardly from the apex ofthe triangle are turned downwardly somewhat. On the other hand, theportion of the can lid which is bent downwardly at the base of thetriangle near the periphery of the can is smoothly rounded, there beingno sharp edge at all at this location.

Many proposals in the past have been made for providing stoppers forsealing an opening which is formed in the end of a can in this manner,but none of these proposals have been particularlly successful,partially because there is no precise standard for beer can openers.Also, with use, as they become more and more dull at their cuttingedges, their action tends to deform the can top somewhat differently andto cut an opening which is even less standard. Furthermore, a triangularopening is inherently diflicult to seal, particularly when two of theedges are quite sharp, whereas the third edge of the opening is smooth.

One of the difliculties with prior stoppers is that when they areinserted, and even assuming they seal reasonably well, it will beappreciated that the downwardly turned sharp edge along two sides of thetriangle tends to chew up the material of which the stopper is made whenthe stopper is removed, with the result that after it has been used avery few times it will no longer seal properly.

In the drawings which illustrate the present invention, a beer can orfruit juice can or the like is indicated at 10. This can has a top 12 inwhich a triangular opening of the type discussed above has 'been formedby the use of a beer can opener. The closure of this invention providedfor this opening is molded from a single piece of soft rubber orequivalent plastic material, and this member is formed to provide anapproximately triangular tapered spout 14 which extends downwardly fromthe top through the can opening. The external surface of this spout hassuch dimensions that its lower end, at 16 for instance, hasapproximately the same external shape as the shape of the opening, butis somewhat smaller. At its upper end, as at 18 for instance, theexternal dimensions of the spout are somewhat larger than the canopening. There is a triangular tapered passage 20 which extends throughthe center of the spout, such that the wall thickness of the spout iseverywhere approximately the same.

Because of the resilient nature of the rubber or like material, thespout 14 can be inserted into the can opening and pressed downwardlyuntil the side walls of the spout are deformed inwardly slightly by thewedging action of the external tapered spout surface against the edgesof the can opening. So as to prevent the spout 14 from being pushed allthe way through the can opening, I have found it advisable to form thespout 14 with an outwardly extending flange 22 at its upward end. Evenwith a loose fitting opening, therefore, when the spout 14 is pushedinto the can, such inner movement of the spout will be arrested when theflange 22 engages the top of the can.

A plug 24, also formed of the resilient rubber or similar material, isprovided, and is so contoured that its taper and its horizontal sectionat any point is approximately the same as that of the space 20 providedwithin the spout 14. In other words, the plug 24 is made so that it fitsthe tapered opening 20. This plug 24 is connected by a narrow flexiblestrip of the rubber material, indicated at 26, with the edge of theflange 22. This narrow strip 26 acts as a hinge which providessufficient freedom of movement between the spout and plug whilepreventing them from becoming separated. Such an arrangement also hasthe advantage that the spout 14, the flange 22, the flexible strip 26,and the plug 24 can simultaneous- -ly be molded as a single piece. So asto provide a sort of handle for easy removal of the plug 24, it ispreferred that its upper end he provided as shown with an outwardlyextending flange 28.

The device is used in the following manner. The can of fruit juice orthe like, which has suflicient contents such that it is not desired toempty the can completely in one operation, has its top perforated withthe ordinary beer can opener. After the opening has been made, the spoutportion 14.is pushed downwardly into the opening until it forms acomparatively firm fit. This action deforms the spout material inwardlyslightly all the way around where the tubular .portion engages the edgesof the opening. This is, of course, an easy operation, requiring noparticular skill or strength, since the relatively thin-walled tubularspout 14 is easily deformed.

After the spout portion 14 is comparatively firmly in place, the plugportion 24 is entered into the triangular passage 20 and pusheddownwardly therein until the tapered surfaces of the plug 24 fill theopening 20 and Wedge the material of the spout 14 outwardly into tightsealing engagement with the edges of the opening in the can top.

With the plug 24 thus in place, the can is tightly sealed. To pour fromthe can, the plug 24 is simply pulled out of the opening 20, the flange28 being helpful in facilitating grasping the upper end of the plug.With the plug 24 removed, the opening 20 is free to permit passage ofthe fluid from the interior of the can, and the flexible strip 26prevents the plug 24 from becoming misplaced. To reseal the can the plug24 is simply pushed back into the opening 20.

When the can is empty and it is desired to remove the closure memberfrom the can, the plug 24 is removed in the manner previously described,after which the edges of the flange 22 are grasped so as to pull thespout 14 out of the can opening. It will be appreciated that once theplug 24 has been removed from the opening 20, the resistance to collapseof the spout 14 will be slight, and therefore even though the sharpedges of the can dig into the external surfaces of the spout 14 to someextent, the spout 14 nevertheless can be removed from the can withoutsuffering substantial damage from the cutting action of these sharpedges.

Although I have described the can opening closure of this invention onthe assumption that it will be used for closing an approximatelytriangular opening formed by an ordinary beer can opener, it will beappreciated that the essential feature of the invention is that itprovides a closure for any sort of a can opening which is made in suchmanner that at least some of the edges are sharp, it being necessarymerely to contour the external surfaces of the spout portion 14 so thatit approximately fits the opening in the can when pressed into the canto some extent regardless of what form this opening may take, providingthat the spout is additionally so formed that it is easily deformed, andthat it has an opening through the center thereof into which a taperedplug is inserted which not only fills the opening, but in addition actsto wedge the material of the spout outwardly into firm sealingengagement with the edge of the opening through the can top.

Although I: have described by invention in terms of a specificembodiment thereof, it will be appreciated that variations may be madein the structure without departing from the spirit and scope of theinvention and that, therefore, the scope of the invention is to bemeasured by the scope of the following claims.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and useful and desireto secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A reusable closure member for temporarily closing a triangularpouring opening cut through the end of a sheet metal can by aninstrument which forms two sharp cut edges and a rolled smooth edgewhich comprises a soft resilient tapered tubular member having anexternal tapered contour adapted substantially to fit the triangularopening in the can in wedging relation as the tubular member is pressedinto the can opening, said tubular member being formed to provide atapered passage therethrough which reduces the wall thickness of thetubular portion sufliciently to enable the resilient material of thetubular portion to be temporarily deformed slightly inwardly into thepassage when the tubular portion is temporarily wedged into thetriangular can opening, a tapered resilient plug having substantiallythe contour of the tapered passage through the tubular member when thetubular member is in the free state, said tapered plug being adapted tobe pressed into the tapered passage through said tubular member so astemporarily to wedge the resilient material of which the tubular memberis formed outwardly into firm sealing engagement with the edgessurrounding the can opening, the resilient material of which the tubularmember is formed being adapted to spring back to its original undeformedtubular shape when the temporarily deformed tubular member is pulled outof the can opening.

2. A closure member as called for in claim 1 in which there is provideda flexible strip of material interconnecting the tubular member at itsouter end with the outer end of the plug, said tubular member, saidflexible strip, and said plug being provided as a single molded elementof a resilient deformable material.

3. The article as called for in claim 1 in which the outer end of thetubular member is provided with an outwardly turned flange the plane ofwhich is substantially perpendicular to the axis of the passage.

4. The article as called for in claim 1 in which the plug is providedwith an outwardly turned flange at the outer end thereof.

5. The article as called for in claim 3 in which the plug is providedwith an outwardly turned flange at the outer end thereof and in whichthe edge of the plug flange is connected to the edge of the spout flangeby an integrally formed strip of the resilient material.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 718,659 1/03Ruffin 215-52 2,821,323 1/58 Lee 22024.5 2,841,307 7/58 Yoder 220-243,021,976 2/62 Tracy 22038.5

THERON E. CONDON, Primary Examiner,

1. A REUSABLE CLOSURE MEMBER FOR TEMPORARILY CLOSING A TRIANGULARPOURING OPENING CUT THROUGH THE END OF A SHEET METAL CAN BY ANINSTRUMENT WHICH FORMS TWO SHARP CUT EDGES AND A ROLLED SMOOTH EDGEWHICH COMPRISES A SOFT RESILIENT TAPERED TUBULAR MEMBER HAVING ANEXTERNAL TAPERED CONTOUR ADAPTED SUBSTANTIALLY TO FIT THE TRIANGULAROPENING IN THE CAN IN WEDGING RELATION AS THE TUBULAR MEMBER IS PRESSEDINTO THE CAN OPENING, SAID TUBULAR MEMBER BEING FORMED TO PROVIDE ATAPERED PASSAGE THERETHROUGH WHICH REDUCES THE WALL THICKNESS OF THETUBULAR PORTION SUFFICIENTLY TO ENABLE THE RESILIENT MATERIAL OF THETUBULAR PORTION TO BE TEMPORARILY DEFORMED SLIGHTLY INWARDLY INTO THEPASSAGE WHEN THE TUBULAR PORTION IS TEMPORARILY WEDGED INTO THETRIANGULAR CAN OPENING, A TAPERED RESILIENT HAVING SUBSTANTIALLY THECONTOUR OF THE TAPERED PASSAGE THROUGH THE TUBULAR MEMBER WHEN THETUBULAR MEMBER IS IN THE FREE STATE, SAID TAPERED PLUG BEING ADAPTED TOBE PRESSED INTO THE TAPERED PASSAGE THROUGH SAID TUBULAR MEMBER SO ASTEMPORARILY TO WEDGE THE RESILIENT MATERIAL OF WHICH THE TUBULAR MEMBERIS FORMED OUTWARDLY INTO FIRM SEALING ENGAGEMENT WITH THE EDGESSURROUNDING THE CAN OPENING, THE RESILIENT MATERIAL OF WHICH THE TUBULARMEMBER IS FORMED BEING ADAPTED TO SPRING BACK TO ITS ORIGINAL UNDEFORMEDTUBULAR SHAPE WHEN THE TEMPORARILY DEFORMED TUBULAR MEMBER IS PULLED OUTOF THE CAN OPENING.